You would be forgiven for thinking that these are Molasses Crinkle Cookies at first glance, but you would be completely wrong. Although they might look quite similar in appearance, they are quite different, albeit just as delicious to munch on!
These are much larger for one thing . . . about 3 inches in diameter. So quite big . . .
These are also quite a bit softer . . . chewy . . . moreishly so . . . they use not one but two kinds of soft brown sugar, both the dark and light. If you don't like lumps of sugar in your cookies, sift the sugars. Myself, I am not opposed to small nuggets of chewy, almost caramel-like sweetness studded here and there in my cookies. But suit yourself . . .
They are aso sweetened with molasses as you can see from the title. If you cannot get molasses and I appreciate that it is somewhat difficult to come by here in the UK, combine equal parts of dark treacle and golden syrup, 30ml of each should work.
The rest of the flavor comes from a nice and generous amount of baking spices . . . cinnamon, ginger, cloves, ground cardamom, some vanilla, and . . . surprise, surprise . . . a bit of cracked black pepper. Seriously do not leave this out. Its a beautiful addition. Trust me on this.
The dough is quite sticky, but don't worry about that. It is supposed to be, just roughly shape into large balls and roll them into sugar before popping them (well spaced apart) onto the baking sheet before pressing them down lightly and droping some more sugar on top. 
They bake into beautiful big round dense and fudgy almost . . . chewy wonderfully flavoured cookies that would not entirely be uncomfortable served with an ice cold glass of milk!!
The recipe only makes 16 rather large cookies, but upon tasting them you will be glad for that fact because, lets face it . . . you will not be able to leave them alone and having any more than that would be sure to tip you over the edge into full on gluttonly. They are nigh on impossible to resist!
*Chewy Spiced Molasses Cookies*Makes 16 large cookiesPrintable Recipe
Moist, chewy and nicely spiced. These go down really well with a nice glass of cold milk. These are not Ginger Crinkles which are a lot crisper. These are soft and chewy. Lovely.
155g butter, softened (2/3 cup + 1 TBS)100g soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)100g soft dark brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)1/2 tsp salt1 large free range egg60ml mild molasses (1/4 cup)1 tsp vanilla310g plain flour (2 1/2 cups)1 tsp baking soda, dissolved in 1 TBS hot water1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1 1/2 tsp ground ginger1/2 tsp ground cloves1/2 tsp ground cardamom1/4 tsp ground coarsely ground black pepper130g granulated sugar for rolling and sprinkling (2/3 cup)
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/gas mark 5. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, salt and all the spices. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and both brown sugars until light. (If you are opposed to lumps of sugar in your cookies, which I am not, seive the sugar first.) Beat in the egg, molasses and vanilla. Stir in the soda water. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined. The dough will be quite sticky.
Measure the granulated sugar into a bowl. Scoop out dessertspoon measures of the dough and shape into ping pong sized balls. Drop into the sugar in the bowl and roll around to coat. Place onto the baking sheet leaving plenty of space in between. You should be able to fit 8 cookies on each sheet. Press down lightly with the palm of your hand until they are 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with a bit more granulated sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes until puffed and beginning to crack, rotating pans halfway through the baking time. Allow to sit on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before scooping off onto a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Will keep well for three days, not that you will have them around that long!
You are seriously about to fall in love. You can thank me for these after . . . Bon Appetit!
